John Deere pays whistleblower $270K settlement

A former pipefitter for John Deere will receive a $270,000 settlement in his wrongful termination suit.

In July 2015, Anthony Castel filed a lawsuit under the anti-retaliation provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, according to a Department of Labor news release.

The lawsuit alleges Mr. Castel was terminated June 2012 from a John Deere facility at 909 River Drive, Moline, after reporting unsafe working conditions and filing complaints with OSHA after the company failed to correct hazards.

In 2010 Mr. Castel accused the facility of failure to conduct periodic energy control procedure inspections and failure to provide adequate fall protection. He also complained of inadequate lighting and that employees improperly filled out permits for confined spaces, according to the suit.

Read more: http://www.qconline.com/news/crime/john-deere-pays-whistleblower-k-settlement/article_909bec4e-84db-521d-976b-db1b6a193db5.html